Our Little Girl!

Hi, Maddie!

You have a name! And a gender! And your dad and I can't wait to meet our little girl in May. When we saw you on the ultrasound the other day, we were just speechless. You are already this perfect, adorable, squirmy baby! Your whole name is Madeline Lucille Lute, and you have a very, very cute little nose (pictured above).

My dear friend Diane (who is also pregnant) painted you a beautiful picture of Peter Rabbit, which we'll hang in your nursery. She also sent several Beatrix Potter books, which your dad reads to you at night. (You probably don't fully get the complexities of all of the story lines quite yet, but I think you like hearing your dad's voice. You move around and kick and twist while he reads.)

Some people say that babies and toddlers are more likely to enjoy the music they heard while in utero. I have to apologize to you, baby. I listen to music almost every day, but I can't tell you that it's not embarrassing music. (There's a lot of Hanson and J Lo in this household just now. It wakes me up in the morning and gets me motivated to shower and brush my teeth. Motivation is important when I'm so sleepy all the time!) So you may have to blame your future questionable music taste on your mom. But don't worry, I'll also have you listening to awesome things like Rosenshontz and Raffi.

We love you so much already, Maddie. I talk to you all the time, and when your dad leaves for work in the morning, he says "Have a good day, sweet girl (that's me), and have a good day Maddie! I love you!" (Before we knew your gender, he would say, "Have a good day, Baby!") When he gets home from work, he says, "Hi cute girl! Hi Maddie!" And he puts his hand right on my belly. We both talk to you throughout the evening, and he reads to you in bed. You've got a couple of parents who are crazy about you, little girl. We love you so much.

Love,

Your Mom